PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. (DDN) – A 14-year-old suspect appeared in court Thursday after authorities said he and another youngster threatened Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines, despite having no known connection to the school or South Florida.
Juan Banos, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is now being held in juvenile jail in Broward County on felony counts of threatening to fire a destructive weapon, unauthorized use of a two-way communications device, and disrupting an educational facility.
Authorities verified that Banos surrendered to police on Wednesday. He was detained alongside Logan Gollinger, 15, of Amsterdam, New York after Pembroke Pines police allege the two were involved in making internet threats against the school in November.
“The threat lasted for a full week… with threats of violence to shoot and kill students,” Pembroke Pines Police Department Capt. Adam Feiner explained.
During the hearing, Banos was ordered to stay in detention for at least three weeks while undergoing a court-ordered psychological evaluation. He has also been instructed not to contact his co-defendants or use electronics for educational purposes.
While the threats prompted an increased police presence at the school, officers eventually assessed that the threat was not serious.
In a fundraising campaign to cover legal costs, Gollinger’s uncle claimed the boy was innocent, claiming his IP address was spoofed during an online game disagreement.
After seizing Gollinger’s equipment, police said they linked Banos to the threat.
Authorities suspect he is part of a broader gang of young people who make similar threats for pleasure.
The threat resulted in an increased police presence at the school, as some kids recall clearly.
“It was a lot of cops, and we’d never seen anything like that, so it was, like, shocking,” Ericka Bruno, a 10th-grade student, told Local 10 News on Thursday.
Other students expressed satisfaction at the arrests, but many questioned the motivation behind the threats, particularly because the suspects had no known ties to the area.
“They probably just thought it was funny, and they wanted to, like, pick a school and make a threat,” said Daniel Sandoval, a 10th grader.
In addition to the teenagers, Gollinger’s mother, Elizabeth Smith, 39, was detained for allegedly assisting her son in deleting evidence, according to investigators.
Authorities stressed the gravity of the threats to school campuses and advised parents to watch their children’s online activity.
“Regardless of where an offender is, we will find the truth,” Feiner said on Wednesday. “This investigation brought three people to justice.”
Authorities stated that Smith is due to surrender next week, while Gollinger is still in detention in New York, with an extradition hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Reference: Michigan teen faces felony charges in threat against Pembroke Pines school
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